Alaska Railroad notes Fairbanks yard mishap

Alaska Railroad Corp. said Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013, that nine flatcars loaded with pipe separated and rolled away during a switching operation at the southeast end of its Fairbanks Rail Yard early in the day.

The incident involved six empty and nine loaded flatcars pulled by a single locomotive, which were enroute to Flowline to deliver the pipe. Cars were in the middle of a switching operation along the spur when the incident occurred. The loaded cars hit a small trailer loaded with sheetrock, rolled over a stack of plywood, and shoved into two box delivery trucks. The pipe-loaded cars stopped short of the Spenard Builders Supply (SBS) building, the railroad said.

No one was injured. The railroad has dispatched a team to investigate all aspects of the incident. A cause has not been determined at this time, the company said. The railroad is working with impacted customers to restore service quickly.